Egypt's Agriculture Minister Alaa Farouk met with former FAO policy expert Mafa Chipeta and Director-General of the AfricaRice Centre Baboucarr Manneh, to discuss enhancing Egypt's agricultural strategies and expanding collaboration with African nations, as per a Cabinet statement on Wednesday. The talks focused on enhancing Egypt's agricultural policy frameworks to tackle global challenges, improve food security, and promote sustainable development. Farouk reaffirmed Egypt's commitment to increasing the productivity of key crops, improving farmers' incomes, and strengthening the competitiveness of Egyptian produce in international markets. He also underscored Egypt's strategy, under the guidance of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, to deepen partnerships with African countries, describing Africa as Egypt's natural extension and a strategic priority. Farouk announced the formation of a high-level committee including lawmakers, investors, and experts to support Egyptian agricultural investment across the continent, the statement revealed. The AfricaRice chief expressed interest in hosting a scientific-investment forum in Cairo by year-end, in collaboration with Egypt's Agriculture Ministry and regional organisations, to promote rice cultivation and share Egypt's expertise across the continent. Chipeta, in turn, praised Egypt's efforts and presented global best practices for designing resilient agricultural policies, focusing on innovation, climate adaptation, private sector involvement, and smallholder support. The meeting also addressed climate-smart agriculture, value chain development, and modern technology adoption to increase efficiency and resilience in Egypt's agricultural sector, with all sides agreeing to deepen technical cooperation going forward. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
